Love and Life
by Whattheheartwants
Summary: Brooke Davis has finally left Lucas, Peyton and Tree Hill behind, starting over in California. What happens when she finds herself in another triangle, only this time she's not the girlfriend?
1. Life is Difficult

Love and Life

They say life is difficult. Well, that's the truth. Sometimes the things you want and need the most are the very things that you can never have. This is only so true when it comes to matters of the heart. You feel as if who or what you want is within your reach, but then the barriers become visible. So then, you are forced to make a choice: will you let what you want go and keep everything calm and normal or will you fight for it or them and create chaos? Is the reward worth the risk? Can your heart handle it? Either way, people will get hurt. So now you just have to decide….._will I be the one who gets hurt?_

Sometimes the most difficult part of love and life is watching the one you fall for settle for someone else. A million thoughts run through your head..._Is she prettier than me...what does she have that I don't...why aren't I good enough for him..._and then pretty soon, your heart begins to break. But what happens if you choose not to let it break? What if you fight back? Fight back for love or accept defeat and search elsewhere? Love isn't an easy road; there are many paths to take and each one can lead you to the greatest love of your life or the greatest heartbreak of your life.

_But hey...who said it was supposed to be easy? Nothing in my life has been easy so far, so why start now? College is the best four years of my life, right? Let's hope so because the last four were miserable. I'm finally starting to get over the whole Lucas/Peyton thing and now here I am, 3000 miles away, on my own. I can finally start my new life, be whoever I want to be and love the right way._


	2. What Am I Getting Myself Into?

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the idea.**

I forgot to mention the background information. Brooke leaves Tree Hill for California after graduation. The Brooke/Lucas/Peyton thing did happen the first time and then again during their senior year. Brooke, Lucas and Peyton do not know Nathan and Haley, nor are Nathan and Lucas brothers. Nathan and Haley are not married, but are dating.

Everything in italics are character thoughts.

_Well...here I am. I'm ready to face the rest of my life...alone._ These were just a few of the thoughts running through Brooke Davis' head as she surveyed the University of California-Los Angeles campus. Having spent the last four years being watched intensely by her classmates as queen bee of Tree Hill High, Brooke was looking forward to blending in and was perfectly content with not being known by everyone. Well, at least for now. As she was strolled the pathways looking for her dorm, she couldn't help but notice all of the smiling faces surrounding her. _They seem so happy, so excited to be here. It seems like everybody already has someone else. I guess I was right when I figured I would be all alone. Maybe it's better this way; if I don't get close to people, I won't get hurt._

After about 15 minutes of taking in the campus, Brooke finally found the building she was looking for, Sawyer Towers. _How ironic. 3,000 miles away and I still can't escape her._ She made her way into the building and tried to find the front desk so she could pick up her keys. Finally locating the desk, she introduced herself to the young woman checking students in.

"I'm Brooke Davis; I'm supposed to live on the top floor."

"Is it Brookelyn Davis? Here it is. Top floor, room 539. Take the elevator to the 5th floor and then make a left, your room will be on the right," the woman replied handing the key ring to Brooke.

"Thank you so much, I probably wouldn't have been able to find it," Brooke laughed making her way to the elevator.

As she reached to adjust her purse, the key ring slipped out of her hand, crashing to the floor. Embarrassed that people had turned to see what the commotion was, Brooke quickly bent down to retrieve her keys and came in contact with another hand.

"Oh, thank you. I haven't even been here for half an hour and I'm already embarrassing myself." Brooke rambled as she lifted her head and found herself face to face with the most gorgeous set of sparkling blue eyes she'd ever seen.

"It's okay and don't worry. I don't think that that many people saw you," he replied chuckling softly. "Here are your keys. Hey, I think we're neighbors. I'm in room 540. What are the chances?"

"Wow," was all Brooke could manage to say, still breathless from the sight in front of her. "Oh, I'm sorry. That's great that we're neighbors. Now I know one person in the building and you live right by me. I'm Brooke by the way. Brooke Davis," she finally said, regaining her composure.

"Well, **Brookelyn**, I'm Nathan Scott," he teased. "It's very nice to meet you. Do you need any help with your bags or anything?"

"Ughh, please don't call me that; it's so formal. Thanks, but my parents sent all my things a few days ago and had everything set up for me. But if you want, I can help you with your room," she said hopefully. _Okay, please want help, please want help. I don't want to go to my room all by myself right now and you are gorgeous._

"You know what, okay. I mean you are probably a lot better at this than I am anyway. Besides, I figure that since we are neighbors after all, you might as well like my room, since you'll probably be spending a lot of time there," Nathan responded, secretly hoping that this would be true.

"Well, of course I am, but don't worry. I'll let you help." Brooke laughed winking at him. _He can lift all the heavy stuff. What a sight that's going to be. I bet he has a great body. Okay B…settle down a little._

Nathan chuckled, "I wouldn't expect anything else. So, I guess we should go check out these rooms now huh?"

"Sure, we can stop by my room first and we can see what it looks like, so I can decide how many things I am going to need to change." Brooke said as she made her way to the elevator, swaying her hips in the process. _What am I getting myself into?_

Nathan stood and stared for a minute, but was brought out of his thoughts when he felt his phone vibrating. Looking down, he saw the name flash across the screen, and glanced up at Brooke. As he started to follow, he quickly hit ignore and jumped into the elevator. _What am I getting myself into?_


	3. Surprise Connection

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the idea.**

As the doors to the elevator opened to reveal the fifth floor, or the Pent House, as it was called by most of its residents, Brooke and Nathan were already bickering like old friends.

"Okay Brookelyn...let's see this room that mommy and daddy set up for you." Nathan had quickly realized that Brooke hated her given name and disliked her parents even more.

"Well, **Nathaniel**...right this way. But I must warn you, you might be a little jealous of what you see," Brooke teased back as she unlocked her door.

The giant mahogany door swung open to unveil her massive dorm room, which in fact, looked like a penthouse. Decorated in her favorites, deep purple and mint green, the room just screamed Brooke Davis. As he scanned her room, Nathan wasn't the least bit surprised by any of the "girlie" touches he saw, but quickly stopped when he eyes made it to the extra room off the kitchen.

"Umm...Brooke. Do you have a roommate or something?" Nathan asked sure that the things he was seeing did not belong to her.

"Look Nate, I know we haven't known each other for that long, but do I honestly look like a girl that would share a room with a complete stranger? I mean, who knows, I could've ended up with some deranged girl that doesn't like to shop or go out to parties." Brooke responded, a little confused by the question, but started to realize where it might have come from when she saw where Nathan was now standing.

"I sort of figured that you wouldn't have one, but I was just curious as to whose stuff this was," he answered walking in a circle in the middle of the room.

This room looked quite different from all the others. Painted in blues and white, it was decorated in University of North Carolina Tarheels and Duke University Blue Devils basketball memorabilia. The walls were covered with pennants, posters and schedules; not to mention, the numerous autographed pictures scattered in between. Nathan stood in awe and couldn't speak as he took in everything around him.

"Nate, are you okay? I mean, it's just few things to remember home by. Nate, you wouldn't happen to like basketball, would you?" Brooke questioned, already knowing what the answer was going to be. _This is perfect. Not only are we already getting along amazingly, but he obviously loves basketball as much as I do. Oh my god! What if he plays here? Then I could watch him play all the time, all sweaty..._

Brooke was broken out of her thoughts by Nathan finally regaining his composure.

"Uh, yeah I guess you could say that I like basketball, but you seriously need to tell me how you got all of this stuff. And wait, did you said from home? You're from North Carolina?" Nathan rambled, a little excited about his surroundings.

"Okay, first of all breathe. This isn't all going to disappear so you can look away," Brooke teased, "And yes, I am from North Carolina, Tree Hill to be exact. You probably haven't ever heard of it, it's a really small place," Brooke's voice trailed off a little as she thought about the town she left behind. "Oh, and as to your other question. My father owns a public relations firm that operates in both the Carolinas. He works for both schools and in return, I get a lot of memorabilia."

"Wow, that's amazing. I can't believe you have all of this. Wait, you said public relations right? That wouldn't happen to be BP Davis would it?" Nathan asked surprised at the recent turn of events.

"Yeah, actually that would be my father's company, named after yours truly, Brookelyn Penelope Davis. Thank god he shortened the company name. But, how do you know about my dad's business?" Brooke responded, curiously.

"Well, see, I'm from North Carolina too, Durham actually. My dad, Dan Scott, is actually the mayor and sits on the board at Duke. I think that I might have actually met your dad. I think my dad had him over for dinner a couple of times. Small world isn't it?" Nathan said, still shocked at the situation.

"I can't believe this; your dad is Dan Scott. My dad used to talk about him all the time, about how amazing he was in high school and his years at Duke. Too bad about his knee though, my dad said he would've gone pro easily." _Wow, this keeps getting better and better. My parents already love his dad. Imagine how thrilled they would be if I brought Nate home. Then maybe they would actually care that I was home._

"Yeah, that still bothers him sometimes. I think that's why he always wanted me to play college ball so much. Not so much pushing me to the pros, but just wanting me to be the best and wanting me to have everything that he didn't get to experience." Nathan spoke quietly as he thought about his dad. His dad was the one person who always understood how important basketball was to him, the one who understood what it all meant. _I can't believe this. I know her dad and he really liked me. If only Brooke and I could ever be together, but right now, that is not a possibility._

"Nate! Nate! Are you okay? You seem a little distracted and you didn't even notice your phone ringing. Is everything alright?" Brooke was slightly concerned about him. She didn't really know him that well yet, but judging b the look on his face, his head was in a whole other place.

"Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine." Nathan responded, looking down at his phone. The same name flashed across his screen. _Haley. Of course it would be her right now. Can she just sense when I'm with another girl? Or maybe she can sense that I'm attracted to another girl. _

"Listen Brooke, I'm sorry. I have to take this, an old friend from school. You know how that is. But as soon as I'm done, you still want to come over and help me with my room? Judging by this place, I could definitely use it." Nathan questioned gently, secretly kicking himself for leaving at all.

"Yeah, of course. Just knock on the door when you're done and I'll come over." Brooke replied softly. _Yeah, like I would really know what it's like to have friends back home. With "friends" like I had in high school, who needed enemies? Not like I didn't have those either._

"Great. I should be done within a half hour. If not, just come on over, because I'm probably going to need an excuse to get off the phone." Nathan said jokingly, as least she thought he was joking.

"Sure. See you in a little while Nate." Brooke said slightly sad as she watched him disappear into his room.

_Why is it that no matter what I choose to do in my life, something always connects back to Tree Hill? Even in California, I can't escape my past. I can't run away from Peyton, Lucas and the rest to them anymore. But it's just so hard to forget all the pain that they caused me, all the hurt that I went through, all the tears that I cried over them. _Brooke sat curled on her bed thinking about Tree Hill and the life she wanted desperately to forget, single tears running down both cheeks. _Okay, now it's decision time. How much do I tell Nathan? Am I ready to let him in? Am I ready to expose the real me? Or better yet...am I ready to be vulnerable again?_


	4. Finding Comfort

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the idea.**

Twenty five minutes later, a light tapping echoed throughout Brooke's living room. She slowly lifted herself off of her bed and walked towards a mirror. After a quick check of her makeup and wiping the tears off of her cheeks, she quickly made her way to the door.

"It's about time…I thought maybe you were mad at me for leaving and were ignoring me." Nathan teased her slightly until her noticed the tear stains. "Brooke…what happened…is everything all right?" Even though they hadn't known each other for very long, Nathan could tell that Brooke was not the kind of girl to cry, especially in front of other people.

"It's…I'm fine…everything's okay…" Brooke finally stammered out, not quite ready to spill all her secrets to the dark haired boy in front of her.

"Look Brooke…I understand that you might be scared to tell me what's wrong because we haven't known each for more than 2 hours, but you can talk to me. I won't judge you, no matter what and if you don't want me to say anything, I won't. But I think that if a strong, confident girl like you is crying, then you need to talk to someone. Please, just trust me…you can trust me." Brooke looked up as Nathan finished speaking and saw the genuine sincerity in his eyes.

"Nate…I really want to tell you, I do. It's just that I've been through a lot this last year and I don't know if I'm ready to be vulnerable again. It took so much out of me to deal with everything the first time and well, I don't know if I'm ready to open all the wounds again. But trust me when I say that, when I am ready to talk about it all, you'll be the first person I come and talk to." Brooke choked out the last part because she really did want to open up to Nathan, but part of her was scared because she figured that a guy like Nate wouldn't know anything about people turning their backs on him.

Nathan looked back at Brooke and could tell that she was sincere in trusting him and it felt so good to be trusted, especially when it was obvious that she had been hurt so badly.

"Okay Brooke, I understand, but do know that I'll be here for you whenever you need me, no matter what." _Oh no…I shouldn't have said no matter what, she's going to think I'm crazy and will probably never open up to me._

"Thank you Nate. After this last year, you don't know how much I appreciate your being here for me. It means a lot to me and I haven't been this grateful in a long time." Brooke was on the verge of tears again, thinking about the last person who told her that he would be there for her through anything. _Lucas used to tell me that all the time. "I'll be there for you Brooke, nothing is more important to me than you are." Well, that was bullshit. Peyton was more important than I was and she always was; he was always leaving me to rescue her. God, I need to stop thinking about Lucas and Peyton and just live in this moment with a guy who is willing to be there for me._

"Well you're welcome Brooke. Just remember that you can come knock on my door whenever." Nathan replied honestly but a bit teasingly as well. "So, umm…how about we go and fix up my room before my roommate gets here?"

"Sure, that sounds good. Wait! You have a roommate? You didn't tell me that." Brooke was surprised and a little disappointed finding out that Nathan had to share his room with someone else.

"Yeah, I do, everybody on the basketball team has to room with another player. Oh and yes, I am on the team so I guess to answer your question from earlier, yes I really like basketball." Nathan laughed knowing that he probably should have mentioned the whole basketball team thing to Brooke before but it was much funnier this way, watching her mouth drop open.

"Nathan! I can't believe that you didn't tell me that. I absolutely love basketball and you know that." Brooke yelled, totally caught off guard by Nathan's news. "But I guess it's okay because I didn't exactly tell you why I ended up in Sawyer."

"Wait…why didn't I think about that? Sawyer is all athletes and cheerleaders right? So, looking at you…I'm thinking…cheerleader." Nathan replied sweetly, while thinking about seeing Brooke in a skimpy cheerleading uniform all the time. _As if being her neighbor wasn't good enough, now I get to see her at practices and at all our games, jumping around, wearing her uniform…_

"Why Nathan Scott, how did you know?" Brooke giggled softly. "So now that we have all that cleared up, how about we go fix up your room?"

"Sure, I think my roommate should be here soon anyway so let's get started."

Two hours and lots of laughter later, Brooke and Nathan had finished decorating his portion of the apartment, complete with a few select items from Brooke's basketball room.

"I still can't believe you are letting me keep this stuff in here." Nathan said in awe of the autographed basketball of the entire 2005 North Carolina National Champion team he was currently holding.

"Well, I have more than enough things to fill my space and besides, it's not like you can hide from me if you want to steal it or something." Brooke laughed.

"Yeah I guess so, but still…this stuff is worth a lot of money and I would hate myself if I let anything happen to any of it."

"Tell you what…if you let anything happen to my stuff then…you owe me dinner. Sound fair?" Brooke replied hesitantly, trying not to sound nervous about the words she had just spoken.

Nathan stared at the beautiful woman in front of him and then flashed his trademark Scott smile, "Deal…but I think that I should take you out anyway as a thank you for helping me today."

"Well...," Brooke said sweetly as she walked towards Nathan, "I guess we could arrange something like that." As the last words left her lips she flicked her blue paintbrush and flecks of paint splattered across Nathan's face and dripped down to his shirt.

Looking down to see his yellow shirt sprinkled with blue spots, Nathan smiled mischievously and glanced back up at Brooke. Grabbing his paintbrush and taking a few steps towards her, he slowly raised his hand.

"Okay, Nathan…let's not go and do something crazy now. I mean…seriously…you don't really want to ruin my new top." Brooke said calmly, as she backed herself into the couch.

"Oh Brooke…I'm not going to do anything crazy. I just decided that you should add a little color to your ensemble." Nathan responded softly as he lifted his brush and painted small lines across Brooke's cheek and then painted a dot on the tip of her nose. "Now see how much better that is," he chuckled leading her to the mirror.

As soon as she saw her new "makeup," Brooke gasped and raced towards Nathan and jumping on his back as he ran away.

"I can't believe you just did that to me!"

"Me? You're the one that flicked paint at me first." Nathan replied laughing.

Then as Brooke shifted on his back, Nathan lost his balance and fell over the edge of the couch, bringing Brooke down with him. Landing on his back, Nathan looked up to find Brooke settled on his stomach, paint beginning to dry on her face. As she looked back at him smiling sweetly, Nathan lifted himself up towards her, slowly closing the gap between them. Brooke began leaning towards him, but suddenly realizing what was about to happen, she jumped up and pulled herself up onto the couch.

"I'm sorry Nate…I'm just not ready for this….I think I should just go." Brooke whispered, trying to stop the tears from falling.

"Brooke…please don't go. I'm sorry okay? I shouldn't have done that…it's too soon. Just please don't leave. I'll order us some dinner, and besides, I want you to meet my roommate. He should be here any minute." Nathan replied looking at his watch, worried that he had already ruined his "relationship" with Brooke.

"Okay, I'll stay, but we're ordering Chinese." Regaining her smile, Brooke began to relax in Nathan's presence.

"Well, then Chinese it is. Let me get the menu."

Fifteen minutes later, Brooke walked to the bathroom just as the front door opened to reveal Nathan's new roommate. The brown headed young man carried a couple boxes as he struggled to get his keys out of the door.

Jumping off of the couch, Nathan grabbed the boxes, "Here let me help you. I'm Nathan Scott and I guess you would be Jake."

"Hey thanks man and yeah, I'm Jake Jagielski." Jake answered as he pulled the key free from the lock.

Just then Brooke came out of the bathroom fixing her shirt not noticing that Jake had arrived. "Nate did the food come yet because I am starving…"

"Davis…when aren't you hungry?" Jake asked jokingly.

Brooke looked up at the sound of her name and screamed, "OMG! Jake Jagielski! What are you doing here?" Still surprised, she ran and gave him a huge hug.

"Well, I should ask you the same thing, but I am playing basketball here and I would be willing to bet money that, you Miss Davis, are on our fine cheerleading squad."

"Of course I am, would you have it any other way?" Brooke questioned laughing.

"Yeah and as if that wasn't enough, Brooke here lives right across the hall from us." Nathan spoke for the first time since Brooke and Jake had seen each other.

"Ah so that explains how you know my roommate then Brooke."

"Yes, but the real question is how you know each other." Nathan was a little confused as to what was going on around him.

"Okay I know this is probably a little crazy but we'll explain everything a little later. I need to get all of my stuff inside first." Jake replied.

"Right of course. Why don't you go get some more boxes and I'll put this stuff in your room for you." Nathan responded as he picked Jake's boxes up again and walking towards the back of the apartment.

"All right, I am going to go get some more stuff. Brooke, why don't you stay here and help Nathan?" Jake suggested walking out the door.

As Brooke made her way towards Jake's room to help Nathan unpack, there was a light tapping at the door. Figuring it was either Jake or the Chinese delivery guy, Brooke didn't bother to look through the peephole. However, as she pulled open the door, she was surprised to find a pretty young woman with light brown hair standing in front of her.

"Can I help you?" Brooke asked curiously.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have the wrong apartment. I'm looking for my cousin, Jake Jagielski. I thought he said room 540 but I must have heard him wrong. I'll just go," the young woman rambled apologetically.

"No wait! This is Jake's room; he's just downstairs getting more boxes. I'm Brooke Davis. I live across the hall I room 539." Brooke told the woman as she led her into the apartment

Turning her back the young woman finally spoke again as Nathan made his way out of Jake's room. "Oh well, then I guess I found it after all. It's really nice to me you, I'm…"

"Haley? What are you doing here?"


	5. False Assurance?

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the idea.**

"Haley? What are you doing here?"

Spinning around at the sound of her name, Haley squealed, "Nathan! Baby, what are you doing here? Are you Jake's roommate?" She was so excited as she raced towards him, jumping into his arms.

Before Brooke could process what she had just heard, the image of Haley kissing Nathan was thrown in her face. Nathan didn't really know what to do so he lightly kissed back, refusing to deepen the kiss. As he was attempting to break away from Haley's grasp and explain to Brooke, all he could see was his front door shutting slowly behind her.

Nathan quickly closed his eyes as he heard the door click shut, thinking to himself. _What am I going to do now? She probably won't ever talk to me again…not only did I almost kiss her, but now, less than an hour later, Haley shows up. I don't think I am going to be able to fix this. _

"Nathan…are you okay? You haven't said anything since you saw me and I'm a little freaked out right now." Haley's voice was filled with anxiety because she had seen the look in her boyfriend's eyes as the other brunette walked out of the room.

"Yeah Hales…I'm fine. I'm just a little surprised is all. I didn't know you were coming to see me today." Nathan replied, still lost in thought about Brooke, but being aware of the girl in front of him, gently wrapped his arms around Haley.

"Well, actually, I didn't come to see you today. I came to help Jake set up his apartment, and then I was going to call you tomorrow and stop by. I didn't know you guys were roommates; pretty cool huh? Now I have more excuse to come down to see you." Haley was excited to see her boyfriend, but was nervous because he didn't seem all that thrilled to see her. _Something's going on with Nathan and that Brooke girl, I can feel it. But Jake's his roommate so I can come down whenever and hopefully seeing me more often than we originally thought will keep everything the way it was. The more I'm here, the less he'll think about Brooke, and everything will be okay. It just has to be. It has to be._

"That's great Haley, but how exactly do you know Jake?" Nathan questioned half-heartedly.

"Oh do you remember my aunt Sarah? You know, the one that lived in the small town in North Carolina, well Jake's her son, my cousin." Haley responded.

"Oh…wait, was it Tree Hill?" Nathan asked curiously. _Maybe that's how Jake and Brooke know each other and maybe he knows why she's so scared to trust people. Maybe he knows the secret to discovering Brooke Davis._

"Umm…yeah actually it is. How did you know that? I don't think I ever mentioned that before because the town is so small and no one's ever heard of it."

"Well, that's where Brooke's from and she and Jake seemed to know each other, so I just put the pieces together." Nathan replied confidently.

"Brooke, right, they probably went to high school together or something. So, how do you know her?" Haley asked with a little hurt in her voice, having noticed the way Nathan's face lit up when he mentioned Brooke.

"We were standing in line to check-in together and found out that we lived across the hall from each other. It was pretty cool, you know, just to have someone to be friends with so soon. And since she already knows Jake and they're friends, then we are all going to be able to hang out together. She even helped me decorate my room; do you want to see it?" Nathan rambled on excitedly as he made his way to his bedroom.

As Haley walked into Nathan's room, she could see that it was definitely his room, but there was just something about it that gave away the fact that a girl had helped him. Looking around, her eyes stopped on a certain basketball that was sitting on the shelf above Nathan's bed.

"Oh...baby! I can't believe you brought the basketball I got you for you birthday to school with you." She said happily as she lifted to ball off the shelf. "That means so much to me Nathan, that you would want everyone to see what I got you."

Then just as she started to put the ball back, Haley stopped and took a closer look at the basketball in her hands.

"Nathan, this isn't the ball I gave you. This thing has to be worth a fortune, where did you get this?" Haley was curious as to where he boyfriend could have gotten such an expense piece of memorabilia.

"Well, actually, Brooke gave it to me." Nathan squeaked out, scared at Haley's reaction.

"What?! Why would she give you something this valuable? I mean you just met her; you did just meet her right?" Haley was furious, confused and frightened of the situation all at one time.

"Hales, she didn't really give it to me. She has a bunch of this kind of memorabilia in her room and she lent me this ball. She said that I needed a little something special in my room, something that would make the other guys on the team jealous." Nathan tried to justify the basketball to Haley, but as the words were coming out of his mouth, he realized how they must sound to her.

"Don't give me that Nathan! She gave you that because she likes you and you took it from her because you have feelings for her. How could you do this to me Nathan? You've only been here for a day and you already found somebody else." Haley screamed, her body physically shaking at the thought of Nathan with another girl.

"Haley, calm down," Nathan said softly as he wrapped an arm around her body. "Brooke and I are just friends, so please stop worrying. You and I have been through so much; I would not just throw it all away."

"Nathan, I need to ask you something," Haley said, calming down, as she turned to face him, tears streaming down her face. "Do you still love me?"

"Haley, of course I love you. I have always loved you, so you are going to have to trust me." Nathan replied honestly as he gently wiped away her tears with his thumb. _I'm just not sure that I'm in love with you anymore. I don't know if I've been in love with you in a long time and I think that I needed someone like Brooke to make me realize that._

"I do trust you; it's just so hard when I see Brooke living just across the hall from you. I mean, c'mon Nathan, you can't honestly tell me that she isn't beautiful. And you are such a great guy and I know that she is going to notice it soon, if she hasn't already. I just worry that if she's around all the time and I'm not here, then you're going to forget about me and realize that maybe she's the one for you." Haley finished rambling, with tears again falling across her face.

"You really need to stop worrying because right now, I am looking at a beautiful woman who is crying for no reason. I don't know what I can say to you to make you calm down and trust me completely, but I promise you that there is nothing to worry about." Nathan tried to reassure her as well as himself. _Why do I make promises that I don't know if I can keep? How could I honestly tell Haley that she doesn't have anything to worry about when, right now, all I can think about is Brooke?_

"Nathan…I trust you, but I will always be a little worried. But, I promise that I am going to try and work on it because I know that you love me and wouldn't hurt me." Haley spoke, looking up at Nathan with hope in her eyes, trying to will him to make her words the truth.

"That's all I can ask for I guess. Tell you what…why don't we go out to lunch tomorrow with Jake and Brooke? That way I can get to know Jake better and maybe you and Brooke can become friends. I'm sure that she would love that, even if you aren't going to be here all of the time." Nathan was scared as she spoke the words, not really sure if he wanted his girlfriend and the girl he couldn't get out of his head to be friends.

"Sure, I'd like that. Why don't you go across the hall and ask her about it and I'll find Jake and help him unpack?" Haley replied, kissing him lightly and walking towards Jake's room.

Nathan sat down on his bed and held his head in his hands. Looking up at the ball Brooke gave him, he smiled genuinely as he thought about the radiant brunette, so sweet, bubbly and full of life. Then, as his eyes scanned the room, they landed on a small picture frame that held his graduation picture. The faces of Haley, Nathan, his best friend Tim and Haley's best friend Theresa were all smiling back at him. It made him smile as he thought about that day, but it soon faded.

_That day was the beginning of the end, the day I realized Haley wasn't the one for me. She just sat there babbling on about our future and how we were going to make it work long distance, and all I could do was sit there asking myself if I even wanted it to work. What kind of boyfriend does that? It's not like I don't care about her or love her, because I do. I just don't feel the same way that I used to. I used to get excited just seeing her walk towards me and she would smile and I would melt where I was standing. I never even noticed other girls, but now everything is different. Now all I can and want to think about is Brooke. She's everything I've been missing. She makes me feel alive again; today was the most fun I've had in a long time and it was because of her. She makes me smile, makes me laugh and makes me think. I was genuinely happy whenever I was around her and watching he walk about almost broke my heart. So how do I choose between them? The one that's always been there, that knows all my friends, that my family loves…or the one that is new, exciting and that I could possibly love? I don't what to do, but I guess the first step is getting Brooke to talk to me again._

Standing up and taking one last look at the basketball, Nathan made his way out of the room. Walking slowly, he paused to watch Haley unpacking some of Jake's things, smiling. She was looking through Jake's photo albums from high school. She suddenly laughed at one of the pictures and Nathan could see that it was a group picture from some school dance, everyone with crazy faces, laughing and smiling at the camera. As he started to walk again, Nathan saw Haley's smile fall and glanced over to see what she was seeing this time. _Brooke._ Her smile lighting up the page, Brooke was shown is her emerald green Homecoming dress, tiara plated atop her soft curls, dancing happily with a blond haired boy that Nathan guessed was probably her boyfriend at the time. Not wanting Haley to catch him staring that he photo, he quickly started again and silently made his way out the door.

Standing in front of the door marked 539, Nathan took a deep breath and shut his eyes slowly. Finally releasing the breath, he opened his eyes and knocked softly on her door. _Please answer, please answer, _was all Nathan could think about as he heard the lock click on the door. As the door began to swing open, he peered inside slightly and gasped at the sight in front of him.


	6. History

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the idea.**

As the door began to swing open, he peered inside slightly and gasped at the sight in front of him. The green-eyed beauty that had lit up his dorm room just minutes before was now standing in front of him a total wreck. She wore old sweats, her hair pulled back in a messy bun and her eyes were puffy from the tears streaming down her face. Nathan knew the state of the girl before him was his fault and his heart began to break as he searched her tear-filled eyes.

"What do you want Nathan? Because last time I checked, your **girlfriend** is still in your room." Nathan flinched at the disgust that seemed to fill Brooke's voice.

"Brooke…I messed up earlier okay? I know that and I am so sorry. Please just let me explain everything to you. I'll tell you everything you want to know, just please listen to me." Nathan was almost at the point of begging in front of her.

"Fine, Nate. But I'm only doing this because I figure that you'll bother me all year about this if I don't. So, come on in and let's get this over with." Brooke's tone was one of dread, fear and exhaustion from the day's events.

As the pair walked farther into Brooke's room, Nathan stared at her, trying to put the words together perfectly in his head. This was his one chance to make everything okay between him and Brooke and he wasn't going to blow it because he couldn't figure out how to tell her the truth. Sitting down, facing each other, on her couch, Brooke nodded slightly at Nathan as if to tell him to start speaking.

"Okay, I know that nothing I say is going to make everything good again but I at least want to try," Nathan said in a low whisper that Brooke had to strain to hear. "First of all, yes, Haley is my girlfriend; she has been for almost three years now and we have been through so much together. I don't exactly know why I didn't tell you about her earlier, but I really am sorry for almost kissing you because I know that that would have made this even more complicated than it already is. I told you today that you could trust me. I hate that I already ruined that and I am willing to do anything to prove that to you and earn your trust back, starting with trusting you. I want to explain everything about mine and Haley's relationship to you, our history and our future."

As a single tear fell down her cheek at the mention of Nathan and Haley's future, Brooke softly replied, "Nathan, I don't want you to tell me anything that you wouldn't have told me if she wouldn't have shown up. Don't feel like you owe me anything because you don't. We just met; you shouldn't feel like you have an obligation to me."

"It's not an obligation, Brooke. It's my choice and I want to share this with you. I want you to understand, understand everything about my past. I was planning on telling you anyway, just maybe once we knew each other a little better and not on move-in day." Nathan spoke with a slight smile, trying to gage her reaction.

"If you honestly want me to know the things you are about to tell me, then go ahead. But if you ever get to a point where you don't want to share anymore, stop. I'll understand, trust me, I know all about history." Her voice was calm and full of raw emotion, but Nathan could see her visibly shaken at her own words.

"Okay, well, here goes nothing I guess. Haley and I met when we were five and her family moved from Charlotte. I was always at her house hanging out with her two brothers because I don't have any siblings of my own. My parents were too consumed with money and business when I was young to want more kids. Anyway, Haley and I had the same teachers growing up and just sort of became best friends, we did everything together; we were always there for each other you know."

Brooke's mind wandered at those words, _"We'll always be best friends, right Brooke?" _

_"Of course Peyt. I'll always be here for you; you can count on me."_

_"You can count on me too Brooke; nothing will ever come between us."_

"Brooke? Are you okay? You seem a little distracted." Nathan questioned her, concerned at the tears that were currently streaming down her face.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine, sorry. Just thinking about home I guess. Anyway, go ahead, I'm listening."

"Where was I? Oh, we were always there for each other as best friends. It was like that for years, until right after my sixteenth birthday. Haley was coming over to give me my present so I wasn't surprised when she showed up at my door. I just wasn't expecting the tears. It took a lot of coaxing but I finally found out that her mother had been diagnosed with cancer. I didn't know what to do; I mean what is the normal thing to do in that situation? She was my second mother so I was hurting almost as much as Haley was at that point. So, for the next four months, I stayed with Haley at her mother's side until she passed away two days after Haley's birthday. I've never seen so many tears in my life but I had to keep all my sadness inside and be strong for Haley and her family. Then, two weeks after her mother's death, Haley showed up at my door again and asked me to walk with her to the cemetery. Once we got there, she took my hand and led me to her mother's gravestone and sat down. She started talking to her mother and I'll never forget what she said to her. _"Mom, I don't know what I'm supposed to do without you. Outside of Nathan, no one else has ever really been there for me. I need you to be here and help me through my life. I won't make it without you. I just can't do it. Please mom, help me!"_ She was practically hysterical at that point and in that moment I vowed to Haley and her mother that I would always be there for her and always love her. Haley's dad told me shortly after that day that I was Lydia's way of watching over Haley, making sure that she was okay. I don't want to make her mother's death seem like an excuse as to why I'm with her because it's not; I truly do care about Haley and I do love her. It's just that, at this point, I'm not in love with her anymore, but I have this idea in my head that if I end things, then I'll be letting Lydia down." Nathan was crying by this time, never thinking that he would let Brooke see his vulnerability.

"Nathan, I know that sometimes people just say this, but I understand what you are going through. When I was eight, my best friend Peyton's mom died in a car accident and I told her the same thing, I would always be there for her."

"And you are aren't you? I mean, she's still your best friend isn't she?"

"Not really Nate. We had our problems and our fights; we just drifted apart the last few years and I don't think that we'll ever be able to go back. But that doesn't mean that you and Haley can't work. I've seen you together; she is 100 in love with you and I know you still love her; you just need to work a little to keep it. I think you should, for her and her mother, because even though we just met today Nate, I know you're a stand up guy; you aren't going to let her down. Not the way Peyton and I let each other go." Brooke's honesty was shining through again as Nathan stared at her, processing her words. _That must have something to do with her trust issues. I have to get her to open up to me; I need to find out what happened to her._

"I don't what's going to happen with Haley and me, but I know that I want to be friends with you Brooke. I understand if you need time to develop trust in me again but I really think we could be great together if you just believe in me." _Did I just say we would be good together? Oh no; I'm going to scare her again._

_Did he just say we'd be good together? No, I must be hearing things; he wouldn't actually say something like that after the story he just told me. _"I believe that you want us to be friends Nate and I think that we will be able to at some point. I just need time right now; I need to figure myself out first before I can figure anything out with you. I'm sorry. Can you just have a little patience with me, please?" Her pleading eyes spoke volumes to Nathan.

"I'll wait as long as it takes for you to be ready Brooke; I just want to make everything up to you. And I know that this might be asking too much, but do you think you would want to go to lunch with me tomorrow, with Jake and Haley too?"

"I have cheer practice in the morning but we'll be done by 12. So I guess lunch at around one is okay with me. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect, I'll tell them. But right now, how about you come back over for dinner? The Chinese is here and I know how much you were looking forward to it. Besides, I want to hear the story of how you and Jake know each other." Nathan knew he was pushing but he just wanted to be around her.

"Give me a few minutes and I'll be over. I could never turn down sesame chicken." Brooke laughed, thinking about how hungry she had become.

"Okay, you have ten minutes. Then, I might just have to dig into that sesame chicken." Nathan teased, earning a playful smack from Brooke as he walked out the door.

As the door shut behind him, Brooke made her way over to the mirror, looking at her reflection. _How did I manage to do this to myself? I've gotten myself into the middle of another triangle, only this time, I'm Peyton. I can't become her; I have to keep my distance from Nate, no matter how attracted to him I am and how great of a friend he could be. I won't become her; I won't do what she did to me._

Taking one last look in the mirror as she reapplied her mascara, Brooke half-smiled to herself. _Well, here goes nothing._ _It's now or never._ As the door clicked behind her, a soft tapping was heard throughout Nathan's apartment.


	7. Fairytale?

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the idea.**

"So then, we all turn around toward the monitors to see Brooke taking her shirt off for the whole school to see!" Jake finished, laughing hysterically at the memory.

"Hey! It's not like I _intended_ for the whole student body to see mybody. They weren't supposed to open the time capsule for fifty years. I was supposed to be old and wishing I still looked like this when people saw that." Brooke replied while standing up and motioning over her body.

Nathan's eyes followed Brooke's hands along her curves, but lingered long after she had stopped moving and that did not go unnoticed by the other two occupants of the room. Haley looked hurt as she glanced over at her cousin, whose face was filled with surprise. He had always known that Brooke was a beautiful woman but from the little he knew about Nathan, Jake didn't think that he would be the type to stare at another girl right in front of Haley.

Unaware of the events taking place around her, Brooke started to sit back down before popping back up quickly and running out the door. Before the others could even process what had just happened, she returned to the apartment with a large, purple photo album and rapidly started flipping through the pages. Obviously looking for one picture in particular, Brooke's eyes scanned the pages hurriedly until they finally landed on the one she had been searching for in the book.

As if reading her mind, Jake jumped up suddenly and walked over to Brooke, "No! You cannot show them that picture Brooke. You promised you wouldn't show people that picture anymore. In fact, come to think of it, you told me that you burned it." His excited words, trying to convince her not to do what she had planned on doing, just made Brooke laugh softly.

"Oh Jakey! I don't know what you're talking about. I mean, I don't understand what's so embarrassing about this picture anyway." Brooke smiled innocently as she sauntered over to Nathan and without another word, placed the photo in his hands.

Looking up at Jake's hesitant eyes and then back down at the picture, Nathan instantly began laughing at his roommate. Upon seeing Nathan's reaction, Haley snagged the photo out of his hands and glanced at it.

"Jake, I don't know what you were so worried about…it's not that bad." Haley stuttered, trying to suppress her laughter, while a blushing Jake grabbed the photo from her tiny hands.

"Brooke! I can't believe you would do that, especially on our first day here." Jake said, his anger subsiding as he glanced down at the photo in his hands and began to chuckle himself.

"No offense Jake. But I can't believe you would even let her take this picture." Nathan chimed in as he stood and retrieved the photo from Jake, laughing again. "I mean, honestly, what kind of guy lets girls dress him up as a princess, tiara and all?"

"Hey! It wasn't my choice. We were playing truth or dare and Brooke decided that this would be better than running around the house naked like Lucas suggested. At least I talked her out of the heels though." Jake tried to explain, while the trio just continued to laugh.

"Oh c'mon Jake, you know you liked it a little bit. I believe if I remember correctly that you actually wore the dress for an extra 15 minutes longer than I told you that you had to." Brooke replied, smirking slightly.

"Alright that's enough of embarrassing Jake stories for today. I think I'm going to try and get some sleep since we have early morning practice tomorrow. Night everybody; see you for lunch." Jake responded while hugging Haley and then Brooke, before retreating to his room.

"Yeah I guess I should probably get going since I have practice in the morning too. Haley, it was really nice to meet you and I will see you tomorrow for lunch. Night Nate; see you in morning." Brooke rambled, just wanting to leave before things got weird.

"Oh it was nice to meet you too Brooke. Good luck at your first practice tomorrow." Haley smiled, not quite genuinely because she still didn't know exactly how she felt about the brunette in front of her.

"Night B. See you at practice." Nathan spoke softly, while giving her a quick hug before walking her to the door and watching her walk across the hall.

"So what do you want to do now babe?" Haley questioned as Nathan turned back around to face her.

"Well, as much fun as tonight has been, I really need to get some sleep Hales. Tomorrow's our first practice and I don't want to be dragging. You understand don't you?" Nathan responded quickly, not wanting to hurt her feelings.

"Of course I do, babe. I know how important tomorrow is for you. I'll just go back to the hotel and then I'll see you for lunch. Good luck and I love you." Haley's smile was wide as she walked towards Nathan, throwing her arms around him and then slowly leaning forward to graze her lips across his.

"Good night Hales. Love you too. See you tomorrow." Nathan spoke after he broke away from her grasp, his hand on the small of her back, leading her towards the front door.

"Bye babe. Call me when you get out of practice." Haley stated as she walked out into the hallway, waving slightly as she began the trip towards the elevator.

While Nathan stood watching his girlfriend board the elevator back down to the lobby, he quickly glanced across the hallway to Brooke's room. As he found himself wondering what she was doing at that very moment, he made the short trip to her door, raising his hand and softly tapping the wood.

"Nate? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be asleep? Wait! Where's Haley?" Brooke rambled, surprised that Nathan had just appeared at her door. Then, as if she suddenly realized what she was wearing, Brooke quickly jumped behind the door, trying hiding her "pajamas."

However, Nathan's basketball skills were put to use as his instincts and quick reaction time allowed him the opportunity to catch a glimpse of Brooke. His mind went into overdrive as he closed his eyes slowly, picturing Brooke in her tight pink tank top, that revealed part of her toned stomach, and her short black cheerleading shorts, that perfectly complemented her tanned legs.

"Nate! Are you listening to me? What are you doing here?" Brooke's voice broke Nathan out of his inappropriate thoughts.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sorry. I just wanted to come by and tell you thanks for coming over tonight and getting to know Haley. I know that after what happened earlier, it probably wasn't easy for you, but I really appreciate it and I'm sure that she did too." Nathan spoke quickly, making up an excuse as to why he had come over, and trying to hide the fact that he had just been daydreaming about Brooke.

"Not a problem Nate. She's really sweet and actually, she's probably someone I would've been friends with back home." Brooke smiled up at him, but Nathan could tell that it was a forced one, not quite reaching her eyes.

"Well good and speaking of home, we never did get around to talking about it much tonight. I can't wait to hear all about the fabulous life of Brookelyn Davis." His tone indicated that he was joking with her, which allowed Brooke to throw him another forced smile, although this one was a bit closer to genuine.

"In time Nathanial, I might let you in on all the wonders of my life…if you're lucky. But right now, I really think that we should probably try and get some sleep and…I'm a little tired of hiding out behind this door. I wasn't really expecting you so I didn't really dress for company."

"Of course B, I wouldn't want you to miss out on your beauty sleep and no one said you had to stand back there." Nathan's tone was joking, but the look in his eye told Brooke that he clearly liked what he had seen.

"Haha..really funny Nate. Anyway I feel like it's bedtime for me, but do you want to meet in the morning and get breakfast before practice?" Brooke's head was screaming at her to take back her last question, but her heart was pounding, awaiting his answer.

"Of course! Let's see; practice is at 9, so how about we meet right here at 8? That should give us enough time to grab food downstairs and drive over to the arena."

"Perfect. Good night Nate. See you bright and early." She replied, flashing a genuine, Brooke Davis smile, while giving him a hug.

"Night B." Nathan smiled back at her after she pulled away, and then turned towards his room, before glancing over his shoulder at Brooke one last time.

Brooke watched him walk back into his room before shutting her door with a huge grin planted on her face. Making her way back towards her bedroom, she couldn't help but giggle at the butterflies in her stomach. As she climbed into her bed, Brooke's head was spinning with thoughts. _Nathan left Haley to come say goodnight to me and make sure I was okay. That has to mean something doesn't it? I don't know but I sure can't wait to find out. The way he looks at me, I could just melt. Not even Lucas could make me feel this way. But there's still Haley and I won't be Peyton. _These and other thoughts of Peyton's betrayal and Nathan's smile danced around in Brooke's head until she finally drifted off to sleep, completely unaware that the boy across the hall had fallen asleep to thoughts of her dancing in his head.


End file.
